Classroom examples – Primary
Imaginative inquiry has transformed my job
Here’s a story I only just spotted from the GUARDIAN in 2013. Great advocacy from a teacher in the UK who discovered Mantle of the Expert (which she calls Imaginative Inquiry) and now uses it regularly in her junior classroom. I particularly like how Jenny links Mantle of the Expert to Philosophy for children and…
Read MoreAuckland Theatre Company – Storyworlds project
Auckland theatre company has a long history of creating quality theatre for adults and young people. Now it’s developing a brand new programme for young children from years 1-3 called ‘Storyworlds.’ In this approach, children are taken on a creative adventure by actor-teachers, who use a range of dramatic inquiry strategies (including teacher in role,…
Read MoreOrigins: A three day arts adventure with Owhango school
This learning story comes from Owhango school – a small rural school in King Country. Owhango school has 47 children, 2 teachers (Emma and Jessie) and a principal (Ewan) with a real passion for the arts. Ewan applied for funding for PLD and that’s how come I got to spend the last two years visiting…
Read MoreFirst encounters – A Mantle of the Expert exploration of New Zealand history
Whakarongo Tauranga from Knighton School in Hamilton has generously offered to share this account of some recent work in her classroom. Download the full file below. During 2019, Whakarongo has led a team of 10 committed folk at Knighton school to explore how dramatic inquiry, including Mantle of the Expert, can be used to teach…
Read MoreDrama from a picture book – Taniwha
Here’s the planning for a simple process drama based on Robyn Kahukiwa’s beautiful picture book Taniwha. This drama was shared at the Literacy conference and the TRCC course in October 2019, with participants coming up with some really thoughtful responses. Robyn Kahukiwa’s gorgeous book has enormous potential for rich exploration across the arts and the…
Read MoreProcess drama – pied piper of Hamelin
This process drama plan based on the Pied Piper of Hamelin was originally written by the late Lyn Shillingford with some minor adaptions by myself. I haven’t taught it for years, but dug it out the other day after a teacher mentioned she wanted to explore the poem with her class. As I re-visited the…
Read MoreProcess drama to explore wellbeing / worries
This process drama was written by Judy Norton (primary rep for Drama NZ) and workshopped at the Drama New Zealand conference in 2019. The plan is usually only available to paid up Drama New Zealand members but Judy has kindly given permission for it to be shared here – thanks Judy! The drama is based…
Read MoreSlides from primary teacher’s conference 2019
On Monday 15th April, Renee Downey and Viv Aitken had the pleasure of presenting a workshop at the primary teacher’s conference in Wellington. We began by offering a taste of a Mantle of the Expert experience. And to keep things simple, we chose the first Mantle of the Expert Renee ever taught, four years ago,…
Read MoreTLIF inquiry finds enhanced outcomes for writing
In 2016-17 A team of teachers at Otaika Valley school in Northland, lead by project leader Renee Downey conducted a really exciting TLIF funded inquiry exploring the use of dramatic inquiry to enhance writing outcomes for their students – including the high number of Māori learners in the school. Professional learning in drama and mantle…
Read MoreTeaching Mantle of the Expert in an Icelandic Primary School – Part 2
Here’s the second of three conversations with Hākon Saeberg from Iceland who has been talking about his experiences teaching Mantle of the Expert with year 4 students. If you missed the first part, it can be seen here. When Hākon and I reconnected, he had just embarked on the Mantle and was three days in. He had…
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